Milan will face Torino in Serie A Round 1 away at 02:45 Beijing time on August 24. Head coach Amorim attended the pre-match press conference, and this article covers the first part of that press conference.

Mauro Suma (Milan TV): Coach, good afternoon. On Assumption Day (August 15), you already experienced the special atmosphere of facing your former club Manchester United. Tomorrow, Ignazio Abate will also face his own history. For Abate and the entire Torino team, will facing Milan provide additional motivation? For us, the opening match of the season is crucial, just like every match that follows. What are your thoughts on tomorrow's opponent and their head coach?

Yes, I understand your question. First, I want to say that Ignazio Abate is a former player of our club. He played as an important member of Milan and participated in many crucial matches. He knows Milan extremely well. He understands that winning every match at Milan is an absolutely non-negotiable requirement, and he will certainly use his connection to this club to motivate his team and the Torino locker room.

However, we must not focus solely on what the opponent will do. We must concentrate on our own tactical objectives. Our goal is to win every match this season—this is not just a hope but a necessity for us. This is crucial for our newly launched project, and a strong start to the league is paramount.

We know that tomorrow's away match will be extremely challenging. It will be completely different from our friendly against Manchester United. The intensity and defensive standards of Italian football are very demanding, and Abate has a deep understanding of Serie A. Although my Serie A coaching career has just begun, I have a clear tactical grasp of the difficulties we will face tomorrow. We have made thorough preparations.

I believe Abate's desire to win equals my own, because he grew up here, won trophies, and knows that in football, the only hard truth regardless of background is winning. He will lead his team to give their all, and we will certainly not ease up. I believe this will be an entertaining match, because both teams pursue high-quality, tactical, and modern football. Abate wants to establish his tactics at Torino, and we at Milan have the firm ambition to win there.

Peppe Di Stefano (Sky Sport Italia): Coach, good afternoon and welcome to Serie A. You have previously debuted in the Portuguese league and the Premier League. How do you feel about your Serie A debut compared to those experiences? Does it feel more wonderful or more complex and difficult? Do you feel more or less pressure? How have you spent these final hours before the opening match?

To be honest, whether it's a friendly or when I started in Portugal's third division, every time I stand in the dugout I feel instinctive nervousness and anxiety. As a head coach, you are scrutinized daily by the outside world, the media, and fans. People judge your training sessions, team selections, and match results every single day.

So I am very excited now, and I feel extremely proud and honored to be here coaching Milan. I trust my players completely and I am very satisfied with our squad. I can feel that my players are fully prepared, and as a head coach, I am confident about tomorrow's debut. Although some natural anxiety accompanies the first battle, this confidence comes from our very effective summer training—my players have performed excellently and are working hard on all the tactical details for the first league match.

So I feel both extremely excited and the normal anxiety that comes with a new challenge, which is inevitable for every head coach. But regarding pressure, I think it is the same across all leagues and top clubs: any head coach in the world must win every match to survive.

Federico Sala (DAZN): Coach Amorim, good afternoon. It's clear that your football philosophy and tactical approach differ significantly from Milan's style in recent seasons. Naturally, fans expect to see a transformed Milan with fundamentally different tactical principles. So I want to ask: how much of the "Amorim imprint" will we see in tomorrow's opening match? How much has this team changed tactically compared to last season? And how much still needs time to refine and for players to embrace?

First, rather than immediately showcasing a Milan with a strong "Ruben Amorim stamp" or deliberately comparing our tactics to Massimiliano Allegri's last season, I think the top priority is showing a "team that meets Milan's standards" tomorrow.Everything we do on the field must prioritize the team's interests, and everyone must strive for Milan's victory. This is paramount. We must think as a cohesive whole rather than focus on individual glory.

Of course, some new tactical elements will emerge tomorrow. We are definitely a team that desires more possession of the ball. This is a core principle of our style, and you will clearly see it tomorrow. At the same time, we will work to bring more attacking players into dangerous areas through better positioning.

Defensively, I also demand that the entire team establishes a stable, solid defensive system—which is the excellent defensive foundation that Allegri left for this team last season. In that respect, our defensive organization tomorrow may resemble last season. However, there will certainly be new tactical systems and personnel differences, with some players taking on completely different roles.

I want to emphasize again: do not expect to see our complete tactical system in tomorrow's first official match. This is a long and difficult process that must happen step by step. We need to build a new winning culture and forge ourselves into a true family and team. There will certainly be some changes tomorrow, but I repeat: we cannot present a perfect, ultimate performance in the first match.

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